The story
Palasa and Kasibugga in Srikakulam district grew into Andhra Pradesh's main cashew processing centre because cashew is widely grown on the nearby coastal uplands. Units shell, peel, grade and pack kernels, employing many women. Most units follow traditional processing methods. Vetapalem in Prakasam district is a second cashew centre in the state.
In numbers
There are more than 300 cashew processing units in Palasa (Srikakulam) and Vetapalem (Prakasam), most using conventional methods.
Andhra Pradesh State Industrial Profile 2014-15 (MSME-DI Hyderabad, DC-MSME) · 2015
Ways in for a newcomer
- Mechanised shelling and peeling units
- Branded and flavoured cashew packs
- CNSL extraction from shells
- Raw cashew trading
Problems the cluster faces
- Old manual processing
- Cyclone damage to cashew orchards
- Competition from Kerala, Vietnam and Africa
- Worker health from shell oil
Businesses to start here
Cashew Nut Processing →Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL) →Cashew Apple Syrup →